Book Blogger Confessions #4

Book Blogger Confessions is a meme every 1st and 2nd Monday hosted by Karen from For What It’s Worth and the Midnyte Reader.
It’s where book bloggers “confess” and vent about topics that are unique to us.
Feel free to share, vent and offer solutions, and remember to visit For What It’s Worth or the Midnyte Reader for other confessions!

This week’s confession:

Do you have a monthly book budget? How has it changed since you started blogging? Do you get more free books now that you have access to publishers/authors/other bloggers or is your book buying budget even higher than when you started?

I’m very lucky in that I don’t have a monthly book budget. There are several reasons why.

1. I’m old enough to have a job that after paying bills and buying groceries and putting away my savings etc I often have a little left over.

2. I’m extremely picky about buying books. I already have too many, so it has to be something really special or something that I’m really excited about to actually buy it. I absolutely hate wasting my very hard earned money, and I hate so much being disappointed by a book.

3. I’m a member of Netgalley, which has helped me get a few books I’ve been dying to read.

4. I have a wonderful local library within walking distance of my house. I can order books in from anywhere in the state. Currently, I have over 200 books on my to-reads list that I can borrow from my library.

5. When I do buy books, I try not to buy them at full price. This includes trawling second hand book shops, book jumble sales, book clearance stores, and unfortunately, closing down bookshops.

6. I swap books with my friends.

I certainly do get a lot more ‘free’ books now that I have access to publishers, authors, and other bloggers (and I am extremely lucky that even as a baby blogger, all three have sent me books in the past). I don’t get heaps, because I already have over 500 other books I want to read and I would really like to get through them all. Like I said, I’m very picky. I will request from publishers is it’s a sequel to a book I loved, and I was extraordinarily lucky to receive a a few books directly from a few big-name YA authors.

My book budget isn’t necessarily higher: I simply think that now that I’m a blogger, I’m hyper-aware of all the books I do acquire. I used to buy a lot of books before I was a blogger as well. Considering I only read around 4-6 books a month, I am always trying to slow down my habit.

About Nemo

A lover of kittens and all things sparkly, Nemo has a degree in English Literature and specialises in reviewing contemporary, paranormal, mystery/thriller, historical, sci-fi and fantasy Young Adult fiction. She is especially drawn to novels about princesses, strong female friendships, magical powers, and assassins.